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cala_p's review against another edition
5.0
What can I say about this book?
I saw the cover pop up on my newsfeed on Facebook and I was instantly attracted to it. The intense synopsis only added to my interest. I was so excited to get into this one because I really did not know what I would be reading. There was so much mystery attached to the synopsis.
There is two elements about this book I need to talk about: the book itself and the writing. I’ll start with the book.
We’re presented with a situation where “Oliver”, a Russian hitman enters Elizabeth’s home to kill her. Unlike probably every other human on Earth, she is blase about it and takes it all in. She reveals she had the ultimate worse marriage and assumes this is just her husband finally officially getting rid of her. Oliver doesn’t, he leaves, but he returns to collect her a few days later.
And that’s really it. She is living with him for the rest of the book. For Oliver (who we soon learn his real name), she was a fascinating creature at first that he lied about killing, so he was planning on keeping her to look at until he tired of her. For Elizabeth, she went along with it and just bided her time.
In her time there, as much as they didn’t talk for a while, eventually human nature takes over and that’s exactly what happens. Cruelty turns into more and more becomes a romance. But what really fascinated me with this book is that it wasn’t *that* book. The dark book where the girl reforms him. No. She wanted to die basically. Understood that she wasn’t truly living. So when he was saying mean but true things, she liked it and accepted it. It’s really hard to describe this book because so far it sounds like a BDSM book. I wouldn’t call it that though. I would call it: two people with dark souls are made for each other. They both understand how love changing people is dumb and neither wants that. He doesn’t want to make her (traditionally)happy. For him, it’s all about keeping her alive so she can be with him. For her, it’s having someone understand her darkness. COmbine them and you find a couple who fell in love.
I full-on love these characters. Elizabeth is so depressing, but so interesting. And “Oliver” was truly it for me. While most of the book is told in her POV, we do get a decent amount of chapters told by him. I loved his POVs. I think with all the mystery floating around, especially in the beginning, it gives a fantastic insight. Later in the book, I had doubts about his feelings so his chapters just confirm that he isn’t a liar. He is really the true, dark, intense character books like these need.
Lastly, the writing. I have read a lot of books with fantastic writing and a lot with fantastic writing that is basically poetry. This is neither. I wouldn’t call this book poetry because I didn't think it was possible for such words to be placed together to form such sentences, therefore it’s never been seen before and has no name. I wish I recorded some examples, but really if you need a hint of her writing, read one random page through the book. You’ll get it. Sometimes, I had to remind myself to pay attention to the story because I got so wrapped up in her words. Other times, I had to re-read a line simply because I wanted to, or because I got so wrapped up in the words used that I didn’t think about what it was conveying to me.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and it definitely will not be the last. I need to read more by her!!
voxvenati's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
This book lured me in with a good cover and an interesting premise. It didn’t deliver.
The first bit of the book was fair. It set up some interesting dynamics and tension. But it did not follow through.
The grammar was awful, there were so many edgy lines, and the “plot” went nowhere. So much was boring repetition. “Twists” were attempted, but there was no set up, so they ultimately fell flat. The end of the book was anticlimactic. Felt like it was setting up for an epilogue, but there was none…
Also GDT did not deserve this. Leave him out of this.
To sum up the book with a quote:
The first bit of the book was fair. It set up some interesting dynamics and tension. But it did not follow through.
The grammar was awful, there were so many edgy lines, and the “plot” went nowhere. So much was boring repetition. “Twists” were attempted, but there was no set up, so they ultimately fell flat. The end of the book was anticlimactic. Felt like it was setting up for an epilogue, but there was none…
Also GDT did not deserve this. Leave him out of this.
To sum up the book with a quote:
“I don’t want any more self-depreciation about weakness,” he interrupted. “We’ve had enough of that.”
devon_o_mon's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning was really good and then it lost itself. It just felt so repetitive. I mean I understand the pain Elizabeth went through was her main plot, but really, it kept dragging on the same thing. I did enjoy the overall story, the writing and the world building. I felt like characters had good descriptions.
myloveoflit's review against another edition
4.0
A women had suffered from great trauma and abuse. She was born into evil and couldn’t escape it. She was withering away in her own mental prison and now afraid of stepping into the outside world. She wanted to die. Hoped to die.
ceta_cea's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very different story. The writing style was awesome and very poetic.
I kind of wished that there was more about the hero's (anti-hero) family and the ending seemed kind of abrupt. Is there going to be another book to show if they can get it done?
I kind of wished that there was more about the hero's (anti-hero) family and the ending seemed kind of abrupt. Is there going to be another book to show if they can get it done?
beckyrendon's review against another edition
3.0
Birds of Paradise has a unique angle. The birds are an interesting addition.
He is a collector and a killer.
She is a broken woman with little to live for.
In their twisted world, it works for them.
I had a hard time connecting with these two. I completely understood where her issues were coming from but there's little to no light shone on his skeletons. I think the hardest part was that there was nothing tethering me to the page. It had such great potential but it fell flat. It comes across like a Tarantino film- all these possible angles to really deepen the story but it stays all blood and guts instead.
Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
He is a collector and a killer.
She is a broken woman with little to live for.
In their twisted world, it works for them.
I had a hard time connecting with these two. I completely understood where her issues were coming from but there's little to no light shone on his skeletons. I think the hardest part was that there was nothing tethering me to the page. It had such great potential but it fell flat. It comes across like a Tarantino film- all these possible angles to really deepen the story but it stays all blood and guts instead.
Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
joyceedb's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
anbananova's review against another edition
dnf at 45%
i don’t have it in me rn to read this kind of book
too dark and not in a good way
i don’t have it in me rn to read this kind of book
too dark and not in a good way
sonja_ahrb's review against another edition
5.0
I couldn’t wait to read Birds of Paradise as soon as I saw that cover! It was just beautiful, intriguing, and demanded my attention. I had already decided that I wanted it before I checked out the synopsis, but when I did, I was only more excited for this book. And I was so not disappointed — Birds of Paradise was even better than I was expecting — it was amazing!
Elizabeth and the hero aren’t your average, orthodox characters, but I loved their differences and who they were. I can’t decide who I loved more because they’re both total bosses and they own who they are, what they are and they own their brokenness. Elizabeth becomes stronger and a fighter and the hero truly loves Elizabeth. I just loved them and their love — it was just right.
Birds of Paradise is my first Anne Malcom book, so when I read that this was a darker book for her to write, I was surprised because everything felt so natural, I never would’ve guessed that this wasn’t her normal for the most part. I’m so glad that she went darker because this book was so raw, delicious, and tempting. It was passion and fierceness and uniqueness. Birds of Paradise was beautiful in it’s brokenness and I just loved every minute of it, I loved Elizabeth and her hero — I just couldn’t get enough!
Birds of Paradise is a standalone, it’s told from the hero and Elizabeth’s POV, and they are together in the end.
~ Sonja, 5 Stars
Elizabeth and the hero aren’t your average, orthodox characters, but I loved their differences and who they were. I can’t decide who I loved more because they’re both total bosses and they own who they are, what they are and they own their brokenness. Elizabeth becomes stronger and a fighter and the hero truly loves Elizabeth. I just loved them and their love — it was just right.
Birds of Paradise is my first Anne Malcom book, so when I read that this was a darker book for her to write, I was surprised because everything felt so natural, I never would’ve guessed that this wasn’t her normal for the most part. I’m so glad that she went darker because this book was so raw, delicious, and tempting. It was passion and fierceness and uniqueness. Birds of Paradise was beautiful in it’s brokenness and I just loved every minute of it, I loved Elizabeth and her hero — I just couldn’t get enough!
Birds of Paradise is a standalone, it’s told from the hero and Elizabeth’s POV, and they are together in the end.
~ Sonja, 5 Stars
carosi's review against another edition
2.0
I don‘t know what this book wants to tell us... yes its dark but not really. I think both of the protagonists are fucked up like really fucked up. And most of the time there was no point why they did certain things...